EP Jayarajan not to contest polls, KK Shailaja to be fielded from Mattanur

Thiruvananthapuram: Dramatic developments have happened right at the beginning of the candidate selection process in CPM for the forthcoming assembly elections.

Kannur district secretariat has prepared a list of probable candidates excluding the No 2 man in the Pinarayi cabinet and party central committee member EP Jayarajan.

The district leadership has taken a decision to field central committee member and health minister KK Shailaja from Jayarajan's constituency Mattanur.

The district committee has included the names of only Pinarayi Vijayan from Dharmadam and AN Shamsheer from Thalassery constituencies respectively. On the basis of the discussions being held in all district secretariat meetings, the state committee and state secretariat would take a final decision during its meetings to be held here on March 4 and 5.

Exemption will have to be granted if central committee members MV Govindan, PK Sreemathy and P Jayarajan were to contest the polls. The district secretariat has not taken up the matter for discussion yet. There are rumours that EP Jayarajan is staying out of the electoral contest for taking up an important responsibility in the party organisation.

Idukki district secretariat has recommended MM Mani's name from Udambanchola. The decision on fielding S Rajenderan again from Devikulam, a seat he has won thrice, has been left to the state committee. The names of R Easwaran and A Raja have also been recommended by the district secretariat. It decided to leave Thodupuzha and Idukki seats for Kerala Congress.

The district secretariat in Alappuzha has recommended another chance for five sitting MLAs including ministers. The district leadership has sought exemption for PWD minister G Sudhakaran from Ambalapuzha, finance minister Thomas Isaac from Alappuzha and R Rajesh from Mavelikkara. District secretary R Nazzer's name is recommended for Aroor. The names of CB Chandra Babu, Manu C Pulikal, K Prasad, Dalima Jojo also figure in the panel.

If an exemption is not granted to Thomas Isaac, then Matsyafed chairman P P Chithranjan will get a chance to contest from Alappuzha. The district secretariat wants the state leadership to consider CITU district president H Salam or CPM state committee member C S Sujata if G Sudhakaran opts out of the contest.

One of the district secretariat members demanded that sitting MLA U Prathibha be replaced by Kerala University Syndicate member K J Babujan from Kayamkulam seat. If R Rajesh is moved out of Mavelikkara then district secretariat member K Raghavan will be considered for the seat. Only Saji Cherian's name figures in Chengannur.

Allies rue their sorry plight

The seat-sharing talks in LDF have caused heartburns in the ruling front.

The CPM direction to handover Janata Dal (S) sitting seat Vadakara to Loktantrik Janata Dal led to resentment. Janta Dal (S) state president Mathew T Thomas said the seat could be spared for LJD only with the approval of the national leadership of the party. He said the sentiments of the state unit would be conveyed to the national leadership. "There is a difference of opinion regarding the number of seats as well," he told media persons.

With developments that took place on Monday, it is now clear that C K Nanu who returned to JD(S) after a brief period, will not be allotted Vadakara seat. There were reports that Nanu had ended his fight with the leadership on the promise that he would be fielded from Vadakara. A sitting seat is being taken away at a time when the two Dals are engaged in a bitter fight.

Though there was an agreement to allot four seats each to the two parties, the CPM has given assurance only on three. Janata Dal (S) has been given assurance on Kovalam, Thiruvalla and Chittoor. Angamaly will also be allotted to them. The LJD which demanded five seats has been given assurance on three.

At the same time, if Kanjirapally is given to Kerala Congress (M), the CPI has made it clear that it should be given a replacement seat in the Kottayam district. The party is demanding Changanassery or Poonjar.

The CPM has demanded either Kuttaad or Elathur much to the surprise of NCP. The CPM informed Janathipathya Kerala Congress that it would be allotted just one seat. The possibility of allotting Thiruvananthapuram seat to the party.

The party which contested four seats last time is annoyed by the treatment meted out to them.

Congress (S), Kerala Congress (B) will get one seat each. INL which got 3 seats in 2016, may have to face a cut this time. There will be no seat for Kerala Congress (Scaria Thomas).